Audio Books

[LynnAB]

Audible.com is the best website for listening to book. I use an i-pod nano 8G...I have NEVER filled it up. I have about 50 songs and during one trip I had 27 books (Including Outlander which is 40 hours long) on it.

It will start where you stopped on a book. You can leave and return as many times as you want and it will keep your spot. Easy to go forward and backward as well. One of the best features is that you can charge it from the electrical plug...no batteries. It is so small I slip it into my bra as I am listening.

Audible has books divided into catagories. Most of them have reviews you can see. This isn't a cheap hobby, books cost about $10, but so does a book you hold. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Enjoy:D

 

 

I like audible.com, too. My son gave me a gift certificate there a year ago Christmas, and I've been hooked ever since. I absolutely LOVE having a bunch of audio books with me wherever I go. I have a Cowon that is wonderful. And now I'm also addicted to my Kindle ebook reader. I feel like I have the best of both worlds all the time <g>.

 

Lynn

[jimbo5544]

Audible.com is the best website for listening to book. I use an i-pod nano 8G...I have NEVER filled it up. I have about 50 songs and during one trip I had 27 books (Including Outlander which is 40 hours long) on it.

It will start where you stopped on a book. You can leave and return as many times as you want and it will keep your spot. Easy to go forward and backward as well. One of the best features is that you can charge it from the electrical plug...no batteries. It is so small I slip it into my bra as I am listening.

Audible has books divided into catagories. Most of them have reviews you can see. This isn't a cheap hobby, books cost about $10, but so does a book you hold. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Enjoy:D

 

I will have to compare Audible to the service I am using now. How many books do they have available for download, do you know?

[jimbo5544]

I like audible.com, too. My son gave me a gift certificate there a year ago Christmas, and I've been hooked ever since. I absolutely LOVE having a bunch of audio books with me wherever I go. I have a Cowon that is wonderful. And now I'm also addicted to my Kindle ebook reader. I feel like I have the best of both worlds all the time <g>.

 

Lynn

 

Hey Lynn, anything new you are reading? Finished The Associate by Grisham, liked it, he is such a good writer. Holds your attention throughout the book.

[LynnAB]

Hey Lynn, anything new you are reading? Finished The Associate by Grisham, liked it, he is such a good writer. Holds your attention throughout the book.

 

 

Hi, Jim,

 

I'm glad to hear about The Associate. I'll have to get back to Grisham one of these days. I've been obsessing over Robert B. Parker <g>. I really like his writing style and am on his 5th book over the past month. I'm trying to read them in order. Very good! Thanks for the suggestion! Who else writes detectives/mysteries on his level ... intriguing but not too gory? Any suggestions? I mean, other than Lisa Scottoline, who we BOTH like.

[jimbo5544]

Hi, Jim,

 

I'm glad to hear about The Associate. I'll have to get back to Grisham one of these days. I've been obsessing over Robert B. Parker <g>. I really like his writing style and am on his 5th book over the past month. I'm trying to read them in order. Very good! Thanks for the suggestion! Who else writes detectives/mysteries on his level ... intriguing but not too gory? Any suggestions? I mean, other than Lisa Scottoline, who we BOTH like.

 

Michael Connelly comes to mind. HE has a series about a detective called Harry Bosch which are not to gory. Another fav is Robert Crais. He has a series about a private investigator called Elvis (can't remember the last name) and some others that are not tied to a series. Really enjoyed a lot of his work.

[jimbo5544]

Probably my all time favorite is John Sandford who has a series regarding a detective from Minnesota, they all have Prey in the titles... Eyes of prey,mortal prey, broken prey, etc. Their is a couple of spin off series he has as well from characters on the original series. Some of there are a little heavy duty tho....

[jimbo5544]

Stuart woods has a series about a New York PI, Patricia Cornwall has a series about Kay Scarpetta a medical examiner (I know by the line of work these may be on the questionable list for you), but good books.

[dundana]

I must admit that I have not read all 27 pages in this thread, so perhaps this has already been mentioned.

 

Like many of you, I'm an audiobook addict, and read a lot of your favourite mystery authors.

 

Our local public library has a huge audiobook collection, both audiotapes, and in the past few years, CD's.

 

When I'm home, I listen to the audiobooks from the library, which I check out as I would a book.

 

The reason the collection is so big is that a lot of other audiobook listeners do what I do - when I'm shopping, particularly when I'm on a driving trip and have a chance to shop in a lot of cities, I always check out the clearance section of audiobooks in every large bookstore. Then I rip the books I've bought to mp3, so that I can play them on an mp3 player, and donate the audiobooks to the library.

 

When I'm on long trips, I pull out my stash of mp3 audiobooks, since they're more convenient for travel, or for use where I don't have electricity.

 

This past winter, I picked up more than 20 novels at $7 or$9 each. The library has added them to its collection at various branches, but I still have the mp3 for my own future listening.

 

I'm not sure what the law is in various other countires, but where I live, making a copy for personal use is legal.

 

And you might want to investigate to see if your local library has audiobooks that you can check out physically, rather than downloading, for the times that you're not travelling.

[jimbo5544]

I must admit that I have not read all 27 pages in this thread, so perhaps this has already been mentioned.

 

Like many of you, I'm an audiobook addict, and read a lot of your favourite mystery authors.

 

Our local public library has a huge audiobook collection, both audiotapes, and in the past few years, CD's.

 

When I'm home, I listen to the audiobooks from the library, which I check out as I would a book.

 

The reason the collection is so big is that a lot of other audiobook listeners do what I do - when I'm shopping, particularly when I'm on a driving trip and have a chance to shop in a lot of cities, I always check out the clearance section of audiobooks in every large bookstore. Then I rip the books I've bought to mp3, so that I can play them on an mp3 player, and donate the audiobooks to the library.

 

When I'm on long trips, I pull out my stash of mp3 audiobooks, since they're more convenient for travel, or for use where I don't have electricity.

 

This past winter, I picked up more than 20 novels at $7 or$9 each. The library has added them to its collection at various branches, but I still have the mp3 for my own future listening.

 

I'm not sure what the law is in various other countires, but where I live, making a copy for personal use is legal.

 

And you might want to investigate to see if your local library has audiobooks that you can check out physically, rather than downloading, for the times that you're not travelling.

 

First of all welcome to the conversation. Feel free to join in at any time. Like you, I also depend on the local library for much of my audio books. I belong to an on-line service as well that sends out CD/MP3 versions to supplement what I can't get in Libraries. To be honest, I am not sure what is legal in regards to fair use copying. I think I tried to copy one once but was un-successful (more of a technical cockpit error than legal...). I will let the other regulars comment on whether they have done that as well. Feel free to comment on your favorites authors, narrators et all.

 

Jim

[dundana]

Well, now I have read all 27 pages, and find that quite a few of my favourite authors have been mentioned numerous times, some have barely been mentioned, and some are not anywhere in this thread.

 

Barely mentioned:

 

Ridley Pearson - the Lew Boldt books, detective/thriller books, set mostly in Seattle

 

Margaret Maron - the Judge Deborah Knott books, and others

 

Dick Francis - older, but great listening.

 

Nevada Barr - the Anna Pigeon series, set in different U.S. national parks

 

Not mentioned that I noticed:

 

Dana Stabenow - the Kate Shugak series and the Liam Campbell series, both set in Alaska, so perfect for those of you back from or heading to Alaska. Very well written mysteries. One or two have some violence but it's not gratuitous. http://www.stabenow.com/

 

Brad Meltzer - political thrillers, well written http://www.bradmeltzer.com/

 

Ann B Ross - just as funny as Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, though very different. In the first book in the series, Miss Julia, a recent widow in her 60's, has her recently deceased husband's son dropped off on her doorstep.http://www.missjulia.com/

 

Dorothy Gilman - older, but good light listening. Mrs Pollifax accidentally becomes a CIA agent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Gilman

 

All of these authors have written many books that I know have been recorded as audiobooks, though finding them might be a search. There's months of listening in this list, and I may be back with more, if anyone is interested

[dundana]

First of all welcome to the conversation. Feel free to join in at any time. Like you, I also depend on the local library for much of my audio books. I belong to an on-line service as well that sends out CD/MP3 versions to supplement what I can't get in Libraries. To be honest, I am not sure what is legal in regards to fair use copying. I think I tried to copy one once but was un-successful (more of a technical cockpit error than legal...). I will let the other regulars comment on whether they have done that as well. Feel free to comment on your favorites authors, narrators et all.

 

Jim

 

Thank you for the welcome. As you see, I went ahead and added a long list of some of my favourite authors who have not already been mentioned multiple times in the thread. And I've added at least one link for the ones I think are new to the posters here.

 

I can handle some violence, though not if it's gratuitous. I can't handle long descriptions of sex, which can easily be skipped in a book, but have to be endured in an audiobook, so none of my recommendations will have that kind of passage. Not because I'm a prude, but because it bores me silly. And so do 'romance' books.

[anamanxs]

Hi, just found this site. I love audio books, but either buy or get at the library. I have never tried to copy or use onto mp3 player. That sounds like something that would make it much more convient (sp). What site's woould you suggest?

[jimbo5544]

Thank you for the welcome. As you see, I went ahead and added a long list of some of my favourite authors who have not already been mentioned multiple times in the thread. And I've added at least one link for the ones I think are new to the posters here.

 

I can handle some violence, though not if it's gratuitous. I can't handle long descriptions of sex, which can easily be skipped in a book, but have to be endured in an audiobook, so none of my recommendations will have that kind of passage. Not because I'm a prude, but because it bores me silly. And so do 'romance' books.

 

Thanks for the great additions. I enjoy Nevada Barr books as well. Have listened to at least 1/2 dozen. You can certainly grasp the love of the National Park systems in these books. I will have to try some of the rest of the list.

[jimbo5544]

Hi, just found this site. I love audio books, but either buy or get at the library. I have never tried to copy or use onto mp3 player. That sounds like something that would make it much more convient (sp). What site's woould you suggest?

 

I will let Dundana answer what site's are best. Welcome to the blog. Feel free to jump in and join the discussion!!

 

Jim

[jimbo5544]

Well, now I have read all 27 pages, and find that quite a few of my favourite authors have been mentioned numerous times, some have barely been mentioned, and some are not anywhere in this thread.

 

Barely mentioned:

 

Ridley Pearson - the Lew Boldt books, detective/thriller books, set mostly in Seattle

 

Margaret Maron - the Judge Deborah Knott books, and others

 

Dick Francis - older, but great listening.

 

Nevada Barr - the Anna Pigeon series, set in different U.S. national parks

 

Not mentioned that I noticed:

 

Dana Stabenow - the Kate Shugak series and the Liam Campbell series, both set in Alaska, so perfect for those of you back from or heading to Alaska. Very well written mysteries. One or two have some violence but it's not gratuitous. http://www.stabenow.com/

 

Brad Meltzer - political thrillers, well written http://www.bradmeltzer.com/

 

Ann B Ross - just as funny as Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, though very different. In the first book in the series, Miss Julia, a recent widow in her 60's, has her recently deceased husband's son dropped off on her doorstep.http://www.missjulia.com/

 

Dorothy Gilman - older, but good light listening. Mrs Pollifax accidentally becomes a CIA agent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Gilman

 

All of these authors have written many books that I know have been recorded as audiobooks, though finding them might be a search. There's months of listening in this list, and I may be back with more, if anyone is interested

 

Lynn, you might want to take a gander at this list....

[jimbo5544]

Keep them coming!!!!

[LynnAB]

Keep them coming!!!!

 

 

I'm in the midst of a job right now so I can't write much, but I thought of another author when Dick Francis was recommended. Years and years and years ago <g> I used to love John MacDonald's mysteries. I think I need to at least figure out where I left off with the series and get reading again.

[jimbo5544]

I'm in the midst of a job right now so I can't write much, but I thought of another author when Dick Francis was recommended. Years and years and years ago <g> I used to love John MacDonald's mysteries. I think I need to at least figure out where I left off with the series and get reading again.

That sounds familiar, I will have to look into that as well. YUUUCK work

[dundana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamanxs

Hi, just found this site. I love audio books, but either buy or get at the library. I have never tried to copy or use onto mp3 player. That sounds like something that would make it much more convient (sp). What site's woould you suggest?

 

I will let Dundana answer what site's are best. Welcome to the blog. Feel free to jump in and join the discussion!!

 

Jim

_______

I haven't downloaded an audiobook since the days of Napster, so I can't comment on that. I'm not prepared to have books which disappear after a limited amount of time.

 

To 'rip' audiobook from CD or audiotape, you need software which will convert/compress the files to mp3 or wma files. As I said a few posts ago, I buy a lot of audiobooks in bookstores, now mostly on CD, and rip them before I donate them to the local public library.

 

Further back in this thread, various posters have commented on their favourite sites. I suppose you could try reading through the entire thread, or hope that some new posts on the topic will be made. Sorry that I can't help.

[jimbo5544]

I haven't downloaded an audiobook since the days of Napster, so I can't comment on that. I'm not prepared to have books which disappear after a limited amount of time.

 

To 'rip' audiobook from CD or audiotape, you need software which will convert/compress the files to mp3 or wma files. As I said a few posts ago, I buy a lot of audiobooks in bookstores, now mostly on CD, and rip them before I donate them to the local public library.

 

Further back in this thread, various posters have commented on their favourite sites. I suppose you could try reading through the entire thread, or hope that some new posts on the topic will be made. Sorry that I can't help.

 

Without taking this totally off topic, what software do you use to rip them and covert to a compressed MP3 file?

[dundana]

Without taking this totally off topic, what software do you use to rip them and covert to a compressed MP3 file?

 

An old utility program called CD ripper. I've had it for years, and can't remember where I got it. It's very basic, and after it rips audiobooks, I have to go back in and rename tracks 1-9 to tracks 01-09, or when they're played it skips from track 1 to track 11.

 

Some years ago, if I remember correctly, when I was travelling with a laptop and didn't have that program, I think I used the Windows media to rip a homemade CD of Mayan language pronounciation, but it wouldn't convert to mp3, only to wma. But microsoft has been less than helpful, since they're afraid of annoying RIAA, so I don't know whether more modern versions of any Windows program will rip anything.

[jimbo5544]

An old utility program called CD ripper. I've had it for years, and can't remember where I got it. It's very basic, and after it rips audiobooks, I have to go back in and rename tracks 1-9 to tracks 01-09, or when they're played it skips from track 1 to track 11.

 

Some years ago, if I remember correctly, when I was travelling with a laptop and didn't have that program, I think I used the Windows media to rip a homemade CD of Mayan language pronounciation, but it wouldn't convert to mp3, only to wma. But microsoft has been less than helpful, since they're afraid of annoying RIAA, so I don't know whether more modern versions of any Windows program will rip anything.

Thanks, I will ry and look for it or google other freeware products. It would make lsitening much easier.

[jimbo5544]

Can't type today and hit enter to quick for the mis-spells to register in my head.

[jimbo5544]

Wow, this thread dried up. Any new audio books out there been listened to? Lynn you alive?

Edited July 9, 2009 by jimbo5544

[LynnAB]

Wow, this thread dried up. Any new audio books out there been listened to? Lynn you alive?

 

 

 

Jim,

 

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry. I have been sooooooooooooooooo bad about posting.

 

Let's see. I'm doing a LOT of reading on my Kindle in between jobs. As far as audio books, I just started Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (a woman's book, I'm sure) in my car. I haven't gotten far into it so I can't comment yet. I got into a cruise reading mode and READ Don't Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk (very good) and Cruise Confidential. I love "insider" type cruise books. I need another cruise <g>. We're HOPING to cruise again in December (fingers crossed).

 

What are YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU reading/listening to? I read about 10 Spenser books but want something different now.

 

Thank you for starting this thread back up!!!